Auberge du Cheval Blanc

The Auberge du Cheval Blanc (The White Horse Inn) stood across the street from the stables owned by the La Goutte de Paradis’ family. The coach connecting Strasbourg to Lorraine’s capital city, Nancy, stopped at the stable twice a day to relay fresh horses. The inn was always lively with travelers wearing unusual types of clothing or hairstyles and speaking in different dialects or sometimes even different languages.

The characters Francisca, Marie, and even Tante Jeanne are loosely based on my family and my experiences. In this picture, my grandmother is stirring the apple butter pot on her family farm in rural Western Pennsylvania, just as I envisioned Tante Jeanne stirring the soup pot in the auberge.